Lacrosse Goalie! Do You Know Mr. Millimeter?

Are you watching the Tour De France?

I've been a fan for all my life. You've probably heard of a guy named
Lance Armstrong by now. He won the thing seven times and then took
a four year "retirement." Now he's back racing again, and he's tied
for the lead!

They call Lance "Mr. Millimeter" because of his attention to detail.
His seat post must be a certain height. His pedals a certain fit.
When he races the time trials he wears an aero helmet and booties
that cover the straps on his shoes. He leaves nothing to chance, and
most importantly, he comes to the line, every race, with all of his
equipment in perfect order.

Do you?

I'm always surprised just how many goalies don't take care of the
little details of the game. Their stick may be fraying with laces
that may break during the game. They don't have a butt end, or a
ball stop in their stick. Their gloves may be worn, or wet from the
previous practice where they never let them dry out. Or they
come to the field with the wrong cleats.

All of these little details can really effect your game. They put
you behind the eight ball even before you step on the field and
why would you want to make goaltending harder than it is in
the first place?

Your goal, everyday is to come to the field with everything
in place. Nothing should be artificially holding you back.
Bad fitting equipment. Unprotective equipment. Heavy
sticks with bad pockets. All of these things keep you from
focusing on the reason you are really in the cage and that is
to stop the ball.

So be like Lance. Come to the line, everyday, with everything
in order so you can work on being better.

Cool story about Lance too. When he won his first tour he really
raised the bar with the attention to detail that he took. In the time
trials, where a rider rides alone against the clock, Lance came to the
line in a custom aerodynamic helmet, booties for his shoes, and a
bike made custom for his size and shape on the bike. Some of his
main rivals came to the line in their normal helmets, non-aero
suits, and time trial bikes that didn't have all the aero components
that Lance had.

Why? These guys were giving up time before they even started
to pedal! Crazy. Why would you do that? For everything they
gave away in equipment they hoped to make up with their body
and at that level you're just not going to be able to do that.

So keep that in mind the next time you hop in the cage. Ask yourself,
What part of my equipment is holding me back? Now go and fix it.

Kick butt,


Let me hear your comments below!

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

How To String a Lacrosse Goalie Stick

Rachel writes: hi.so i have a question for you.i am wanting to restring my brine money stick and this would be the first time i have restrung a stick.do you have any links or tips on how to do it.

Thank You
Rachel


Answer: Hey there Rachel. If you like your current string job here's what I'd do. Get a second stick (you should have two on the go at all times) and copy your string job into that second stick. Break it in, then go back and redo the first one.

If you aren't going to get a second stick right now then take some digital photos of the current stick. Get up close to some of the critical points where knots are tied off and lacing is done etc. That way you've got some reference to look at while you're doing that new stick.

Make sure you use hard mesh. This will break in the best long term. I also soak my mesh over night before I string it up. It makes it easy to work with. Then I put some weights in there, or you can use some big soup cans or a jug of milk and put it in the stick over night. That way it dries in the stretched position. Most goalies will string a stick up and then that first time they play in the rain it shrinks up and gets ruined. By getting the mesh wet to start and then letting it dry it saves you a lot of time later.

Hope that helps Rachel. Let me know if you need anything else.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru
www.lacrosseGoalieTips.com

New Site is UP!!!

Check out www.LacrosseGoalieTips.com for all the latest.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

New Lacrosse Goalie Tip Blog Over At www.lacrosssegoalietips.wordpress.com

Just wanted to let you know that I have started a second blog over at www.lacrossegoalietips.wordpress.com.

Ultimately we'll be turning that one live, this one will still be here.

You'll want to sign up for the ezine to be up to date.

We will also be starting a membership only site on that blog for more in-depth articles and discussions on lacrosse. It will be an intimate coaching community of goalies and coaches who are looking to improve their game and become All-Americans. Hope you like it.

www.lacrossegoalietips.wordpress.com

Great Article on Princeton Lacrosse Goalie

Found this awesome article on the women's goalie from Princeton. There are some great take away's in this article about going to college. Playing from a state that isn't recognized for lacrosse. As well as the mental side of goaltending. Hope you like it.

http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2009/04/22/23478/

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

Great Lacrosse Goalie Video of TJ Yost from Michigan

This is a great video of TJ Yost graduating this year from Brother Rice in Michigan.


Couple things about this goalie:

Not that big in the cage. Kinda short.

Great stick and stick handling ability.

Always looking upfield for a quick outlet pass and his whole team knows that he can hit them with a pass so they are ALL breaking on the clear hoping to get a pass.

My one complaint is that sometimes his passes to the middle of the field are ill-advised.

Secondly, when he backs out of the back of the crease he heads too far back. This will work in high school but in college he would get jumped by a speedy attackman.

Just little things but this goalie is an All-american for a reason. Great job TJ.

Jonathan -

First Year Lacrosse Goalie Needs More Equipment

Question: Hi jonathan, im a first semester goalie in high school and I have gotten down the fundamentals of being a keeper... with one major problem. After a head shot or many painful bruising shots,(especially during practice) I start flinching away from the ball badly, sometimes even exposing my sides to the ball. I don't know how to get out of this bad habit since I do it unconciously. I wear only the minimal padding for a girls goalie (chest, helmet, throat, hands, and legs) so should I get more maybe?


Answer: Yes, you need more equipment. At least until you get better at stopping the ball with your stick. It's a natural reaction of the body to shy away from a ball especially after you've been hit enough for it to really hurt. That is why I recommend that most goalies wear more than enough equipment to start while you are learning. I also tell coaches that they should ensure that their shooters in practice shoot from far enough away that the goalie can react to the ball.

If you are flinching so much that you are turning your body you aren't learning anything in the cage. Until you can face the ball and focus on moving to it to make the save you are just a target and I might add not a very happy one. I don't want to see you get hurt or worse, discouraged enough to quit. It's a fun position but you need to step into it slowly.

I would recommend some football pants to help cover your thighs. Make sure that your chest protector is protective enough and not too small. Many women I have worked with have chest protectors that shift and leave a breast exposed enough to really hurt when hit. We want to avoid that. Also, make sure you have a woman's cup (pelvic protector) Shoulderpads with shouldercaps also help.

Let me know if you need anything else. I'm here to help.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

Hofstra Video from Insidelacrosse.com

Some good saves on this video. Also, some really bad goals.

Olympic Weightlifter Mathias Steiner of Germany

Just something to inspire everyone. This guy, Matthias Steiner lost his wife just prior to the games in a car accident I believe. Either way, this is a really inspiring video as he wins gold at the Beijing Olympics. This clean and jerk was for 567 pounds! Hope you like it.

What Kind Of Lacrosse Cleats Should I Wear?

Question: Dear Jonathan,

Thanks for your great blog. I am a post-collegiate club lax player who just started playing goalie about a year ago. My old (football) cleats are finally dying, and I need to get new ones. I have read lots of things but can't seem to get a straight and reliable answer. What kinds of cleats can a goalie wear? Can I use baseball ones? Or just soccer and football and lacrosse cleats? Trying to save a buck here, too. Am also concerned about toe protection from shots. Have been lucky in that area so far, but have been hit in the feet a few times.

Thanks!

Mike C.


Answer: Hey Mike. Great question. You can wear anything, typically, as long as they aren't steel. Some baseball cleats fall in that category. If you've got plastic screw in's you're fine. But if they are steel they might go against your league rules. Just double check.

Personally I wear molded football cleats. I find that most fields we play on are really hard under my feet so screw ins don't work because they don't sink into the ground. The molded ones tend to give me more grip and a flatter base to stand on. Also, they tend to work in most conditions and get my by.

I also find that most football cleats have a heavier duty toe on them. You want one that has a solid leather toe. Not one where the upper turns to nylon. Mine have a leather piece that runs right from the toe, to the laces. Hopefully you can visualize that.

You can also wear those football cleats playing baseball so you can save a few bucks.

Hope that helps buddy.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru